Sniffing solvents kills approximately 10 times the number of people who die from taking ecstasy.

70% of people who die from sniffing are under 19 years of age.

Solvents can include glue, paint, nail varnish removers, aerosols, cigarette lighter gas, petrol, felt tip pens.

These products give off fumes that can be inhaled directly through the mouth or nose, or the vapours can be inhaled through a cloth or from a bag placed over the mouth.

Effects

• felt pretty much straight away
• last for about 10 minutes
• feels like being drunk – including the hangover!

Dangers

• Just like the effects of alcohol, sniffing solvents can make you do stupid things and take chances you wouldn’t normally take, eg climbing on top of a roof or taking chances when crossing a busy road.
• Sniffing can cause you to be violently sick - if this happens whilst you are unconscious you could choke to death.
• If you sniff solvents from a plastic bag you run the risk of suffocation.
• The main cause of death when sniffing is heart failure and this can happen on your first or fiftieth time of using. The heart becomes sensitive to over exertion which can lead to heart failure.

For more information visit:

www.sniffing.org.uk